Does Penguin Random House pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Penguin Random House employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Penguin Random House . This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Penguin Random House ?

73% of Penguin Random House employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Penguin Random House 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Penguin Random House ?

Editorial Assistant (50) , Editor (33) , Intern (29) , Editorial Intern (25) , Publicity Assistant (22) , Designer (21) , Marketing Assistant (20) , Publicity Intern (15) , Assistant Editor (13) , Director (13) , Senior Designer (13) , Manager (12) , Graphic Designer (11) , Marketing Coordinator (11) , Author (10)

What are the pros of working at Penguin Random House according to real employee reviews?

"Great benefit as well as perks" ((in 182 reviews)); "The people were great and everyone wants to help you succeed." ((in 136 reviews)); "Very colourful and vibrant office; has a pulp shelf offering free books" ((in 93 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 72 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((in 51 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Penguin Random House according to real employee reviews?

"Pay was low and that was about it" ((in 134 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 30 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 25 reviews)); "Long hours running into weekends" ((in 14 reviews)); "You can get a great manager and be the happiest on earth." ((in 13 reviews))

What are employees saying about Penguin Random House layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Penguin Random House layoffs and their outlook for job security at Penguin Random House in 2026.

Penguin Random House reviews

3.9

73% would recommend to a friend

(1,191 total reviews)

Nihar Malaviya

83% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Penguin Random House has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,191 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Penguin Random House employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Medien & Kommunikation industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

2.0

Mar 30, 2014

A Great Corporate Culture Destroyed by a Merger

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

When I first came to Penguin, I was extremely happy with the culture. Everyone was working together and pulling in the same direction.

Cons

Once Random House took over, the Penguin way of doing everything went out the window, even in cases where it clearly outperformed the Random House way. Morale at Penguin is down throughout the company as Random House dismantles everything that made Penguin great.

3.0

Apr 25, 2025

Inside the belly of the beast

Publisher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of perks like travel (if you see that as a perk) and training, strong systems

Cons

Bullying not dealt with and lots of sexism, racism, ableism

2.0

Feb 10, 2025

Personally disappointed, but don't let that stop you from applying

Editorial assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Cool, legendary company with great authors and exposure to the literary world. Many, many kind, supportive, and generally lovely junior coworkers, as well as people at the associate, senior, and manager level.

Cons

From my management team, I ran into unclear expectations, moving goalposts, various levels of put-downs, belittling behavior, gaslighting, and passive aggression. It was a pretty scarring experience, and made it very difficult to do my job. Make sure you inquire about leadership styles and how they stay organized before taking a job. If they don't have an answer for you, or if something else feels off, go with your gut.

Viewing 43 - 45 of 1,191 Reviews

Jobs at Penguin Random House

Crawfordsville, Indiana: Light Picker/Packer: 3rd shift $18.40/hr

Senior Designer, WHO HQ, Penguin Young Readers (Open to Remote)

Sr. Sales Associate, Clubs, Adult Books, Penguin Random House (Hybrid)

Director, Online & Digital Sales (Open to Remote)

Associate Director, Marketing, Out of Print (Hybrid)